Annual Autumn Winds tour begins this weekend

As summer ends and September means the beginning of school, it is also time for the Autumn Winds Studio Tour. The tour dates are on the first two weekends, September 6-8, and September 13-15.

The studios of eight artists will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on those dates.

Visitors can explore the studios of the artists, purchase handmade art and enjoy the autumn colors. Watch for the signs with the red maple leaf.

Tanya Back creates her art in paint, photography and fishing lures that her husband designs.

“For me, art is an ongoing, learning, passionate experience filled with excitement and adventure,” she wrote. “I have explored the many genres of art throughout my life, and always come back to the three that I love most. My themes are the expression of the human experience, the ethereal world of the spiritual, the fantasy of dreams, and the whimsical nature of it all.”

Tanya’s studio is located south of Moose Lake on County Highway 61, 1.6 miles on the left. Watch for the boat garden at the end of the driveway.

Jennifer Szczyrbak (pronounced Zer-back) creates in two mediums - driftwood sculptures of animals and highly textured paintings made with fabric paints without the use of a brush.

Find Jennifer in Moose Lake at Lake Place Gallery, just off of Arrowhead Lane near United County Realty.

Walt Anderson is a potter who lets his imagination take flight.

“My pieces reflect my imagination and reality,” he said. “I truly love to do this. I never know what I’m going to make till my hands are on the clay, so no two pieces are the same.”

From Moose Lake, take Highway 73 west. Turn right on County Road 12, and find Walt’s studio just four mailboxes down that road.

Roger Sargent is Walt’s neighbor. He builds custom made log furniture, such as tables, beds and a variety of other items.

Continue on County Road 12 to #4723. Find Roger at a log home on the left.

Bruce Nielsen is an artist who works with stained glass.

“Whatever subjects and colors are chosen, when the light shines through the finished pieces, I feel a tremendous sense of satisfaction from having created something so unique,” he said of his work.

From Moose Lake, take Highway 27/73 for three miles, and turn left on County Road 134. Proceed to the T, and turn left on Tower Road and drive for one-half mile. Turn right on McDonald Road and drive to the first place on the left.

Vivian Larson’s first love is art. She has always returned to it despite a busy life as a wife, mother, and working out of the home. She is now retired.

“I am a realist in my art and my life,” she wrote. “I paint what I see though my individual way of looking at a subject. My response to a face, a scene or sunset may be different than yours but sooner or later my painting will affect another person the way that it did me. Light, color and, of course, composition is what my paintings are all about.”

From Moose Lake, take Highway 73 through Kettle River. At the junction of County Road 6 and Highway 73, proceed north 1.9 miles to Manni Road, and turn east. Find Vivian at the first house on the right.

Patrick Ring’s stained glass is displayed throughout his lush garden.

“I’ve been working with stained glass for 25 years, first as a hobby, then more seriously since I retired. My original designs are inspired by nature, gardening, mythology, and Celtic knot work,” he wrote. “My work will be displayed along the paths and in the arbors of my garden.”

From Sturgeon Lake, drive east on Lake to Town Road, and turn right on County Road 45. Find the Garden Gallery at 44002 Deerfield Road.

Marguerite Walz lives near Askov and displays her art in a converted barn.

“I am hopeful that my visitors will recognize new and different works this year,” she wrote.

From I-35, take the Askov-Finlayson exit #195, and drive east to Askov on Veteran’s Highway 23. Take County Road 32 right, over the railroad tracks, and make a quick turn on to County road 142 (Beaver Tail Road). Go about 1.5 miles south to 60357.

Guest artist Ken Hedmark will be displaying his works of art in wildlife and aquatic painting with Marguerite’s.

Brochures about the Autumn Winds Studio Tour are available at the Moose Lake Area Chamber of Commerce, or visit the website autumnwindsstudiotour.com.